Reacting to My Most Controversial Video Ever

Reacting to the last episode which was a little controversial. Here is the original video:

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Here goes well I haven’t done a video Like this probably ever I thought it was An important one to make though right Now it’s just me no production team just Me you and a camera we haven’t talked in A while so I want to respond to my Recent video where I took inertia to the Dog park for the very first time I know A lot of you had some things to say I Got a lot of criticism on that video not Everybody my goal here is just to help You see what was going on in my mind and What I was thinking and just help you Understand my thought process and why I Thought it was okay to do what I did of Course you know the benefit of hindsight Is always a good thing to have and we Don’t always have that when we’re Training dogs so if you’re new to this Controversy a few months ago I started a Brand new series on my youtube channel Called the dog training experience where I raised and trained my brand-new dog Inertia from eight weeks on to me I was Really excited about this and my goal Was to create the most realistic In-depth dog training series of all time Like that’s what I wanted I felt that’s What was missing there are plenty of Videos out there with other dog trainers Showing you how they train things too They’re already trained dogs and that’s Good there’s a need for that I think That’s really important to get a wide

Body of knowledge out there so that People can put the pieces together and Learn what works for them but my hope Was to just do something that was unlike Anything out there really show in detail The raising and training of my new dog Inertia that’s what I really wanted to Do what does that look like what do you Have to go through to actually train a Dog there’s only so much you as a Student can learn and watching like a One-act video teaching your dog to sit I Mean how do you get your dog to listen To you in a variety of other places how Do you teach them to listen to you when People come over and like what does that Training actually look like in the real World that was my goal with this series And you’ve heard me say it takes one to Two years to really train a dog now I’m Not talking about teaching them things Like sit and stay income and all that But getting your dog to listen to you in A wide variety of context takes a solid Couple of years because there’s no way To bypass time your dog has to gain that Life experience to understand what the World is and how to behave in it Now look I’m a YouTube veteran I’ve been Doing this since 2006 I knew going into This that there there was going to be Some controversy at some point because a Variety people would disagree with how I Handled something or how I did it I

Didn’t know what that would be I didn’t Know when that would happen but I knew At some point something was going to Happen because the internet loves to Tell you how to train your dog I’ve come To learn which is good I’ve learned a Lot from the internet I’ve learned a lot From other people out there who share Their critiques and criticisms I think That’s really important to do and I’ve Always always welcomed criticism and Critiquing you know it’s how I learn so Much of what I know so you’re not seeing Me going into that last video and Deleting comments and arguing with People I’ve just taken a step back I’m Reading it trying to understand where You guys are coming from but that’s why I wanted to just sit down here and Really take my time and respond to the Most common things that you guys were Saying you know it’s kind of a bit like Parenting I suppose I mean no two people Are gonna raise their child exactly the Same and no two people are gonna raise And train a dog exactly the same so There’s gonna constantly be you know Well maybe you should have done it this Way or maybe you should have done it That way or what were you thinking when You did that so I completely get that And I think there’s as I said a lot of Value in that in spite of the fallout of The recent video which I’m gonna get

Into in a second I’m going to react to Everything that you’re asking about I’m Going to tell you what I was what I was Thinking and why I did what I did but I Do want to say up front in spite of this I still think it’s important to show Mistakes I think it’s important to show Where sometimes a training approach is Flawed and sometimes it works you know It really just depends on the context And everything else and anybody who has Ever trained a dog especially dog Trainers I’m talking to you’ll you’ll Understand that there are things that Don’t go ideally much of the time you Know and one of the main differentiators Here is that I’m just actually showing It I’m just showing when I screw up I’m Showing when things don’t go as I want Them to because I know that’s what you Guys out there everyday people dog Trainers are experiencing in the real World and if I can just be honest about It and show what my experience is like And I think everyone has something to Gain from that I’m hopeful that’s the Case that’s where I’m coming from Inertia is now nine months old by the Way she’s only six months old in the Series for those of you you know wanting To keep up with her currently Remember Instagram is where we post Pretty much daily so you can see where She is on a lot of her things in advance

Too though there’s nothing like the Series Hey inertia can you come here it’s very Good she’s doing play dead right now Settle good girl If you’ve ever talked to any respectable Dog trainer out there whoever they’re All going to tell you that they make Mistakes and making mistakes is fine It’s that we learn from them that’s the Most important thing and I really think That’s the value of showing things when They they don’t go well my intention was Never to just put my dog in a position To have drama for the series so that it Looks great I’m not gonna do that to my Own dog or anyone else’s dog for that Matter I really want to make sure that I’m being responsible when I give you Guys advice I know that literally Millions of people take my dog training Advice very very seriously and I’ve Always been upfront about the fact that I do take that responsibility very Seriously no one wants to mess up no one Wants to do things that aren’t ideal but You know the fact is the real world is Is not sterile and we don’t always know What’s going to happen in the real world I think many of the most beneficial Moments of this series are when I do Miss calculate and realize yeah that Didn’t work the way I thought it would You know it’s not as though like dogs or

Computers and they’re all the same every Dog is dynamic has their own unique Personality and it’s so important to Cater to that when we’re working with an Individual dog I mean literally no two Dogs are the same so you really have to Be open-minded the challenge in training Dogs much of the time is really catering To those nuances with the individual dog You know what I mean okay so let’s get Into the main controversy here the video Started off by doing a lesson I was Doing some impulse control training and Obedience training with inertia around The perimeter of a dog park outside of The dog park not inside just so that There was a barrier between her and the Distractions so the dogs couldn’t run up To her she couldn’t run up to them so on And you know it was clear that before I Took inertia into the dog park that she Was pretty apprehensive she was a little Bit nervous and I think that’s where the Controversy started so many people out There and and in hindsight I agree with this so many people said You know that that was your cue right There not to let her go into the dog Part don’t overwhelm her don’t put her In there where she’s nervous as she’s Likely to have a bad experience and I Mean you’ve heard me say things like That on many past lessons and many past Videos too so I think a lot of the

Confusion here that didn’t get explained Is why are you making this decision now To do that when in fact in the same Video you even said that dog park should Be met with great caution but I think Unfortunately what many viewers didn’t Realize who haven’t been following the Series very closely is that this is Actually inertias pattern with other Dogs she’ll at first be a bit nervous And I believe 100% of the time or at Least very close to it leading up to This she opens up almost instantly or Even after a few minutes so sometimes She needs a few minutes to you know just Take it in and and be a little bit like Whoa what’s going on here and then Invariably she opens up and starts Playing with other dogs I mean I’ve Documented this well we’ve got plenty of Examples of this I’ve been socialising Inertia from a very very young age as Those of you who’ve been keeping up with This series religiously will know I’ve Taken her through two rounds of puppy Classes we’ve had lots of dogs come to The house so I mean I’ve lost count of How many dogs that inertia has Interacted with and how many dogs that She knows and so my thinking was okay She’s a little nervous now this will be Like before where you know she gets Nervous but then she’s like okay I guess You’re all right you know and then she

Opens up and starts playing and running Around with them one of the examples I Can think of off the top of my head was The tripod dog Rover that dog came on Really strong to inertia inertia was Very nervous at first and she got her Bearings and was like okay I feel better And they proceeded to play very Vigorously so I mean inertia loves the Place and I’m continuing to socialize Her I mean she’s under a year old so I Believe in pretty heavy socialization For a dog that’s under a year old I Think a lot of viewers came into this Not understanding her broad Socialization that she’d already Experienced and if you look at this as a Standalone event like if this was the First time I had met this dog and I was Going into a dog park there’s no way I Would have taken a dog into a dog park Who was that nervous if it was the first Time I had met with them but again I Have the benefit of history in history Matters when you know a dog really well It really matters when it comes to Correlating a gameplay For them honestly I did feel pretty Confident going into it that she would Probably open up just like she had Before at one point she gets toppled and Run over by another playful dog Well-meaning inertia didn’t quite know How to react to that so she does a

Series of err snaps now understand I Mean this behavior is heavily Stigmatized but I think it’s important To understand what’s really going on There or at least what I think is going On in that particular case when a dog is Air snapping like that after they’ve Just been run over by another dog or Whatever they’re basically saying yo Chill I stay away I don’t want to play That rough with you I haven’t gotten to Smell you yet or whatever it’s a very Unsure behavior I think what a lot of Laymen will see is just you know a dog Biting at the air and they’re seeing Teeth and everything and a scared dog But it was a fear response she was Scared and she was trying to create Space which is why I went in there Picked her up to remove her from a Stressful situation let me kind of go on A brief tangent about that incident Because there there are a lot of people Who are saying well you should have Corrected or really firmly right then And there I don’t think getting on a dog’s case When they’re saying hey that’s a bit Much what’s going on here can you can You chill I don’t think yelling at a dog For that is going to do anything I think The most helpful thing to do was to Manage the situation by removing her From the other dog so that she was

Likely to feel less anxious it’s a very Common myth and dog training also that If you pick a dog up while they’re doing Something you wish they weren’t doing That you’re reinforcing it You can’t reinforce fear by providing Comfort to your dog that’s a complete Myth instead that’s a good example at Least I think of managing the dog to Remove them from that situation in General my personal dog training Philosophy is that it’s OK for a dog to Experience minor stress if they’re Likely to rebound from that stress we Don’t live in a sterile world there are Times where dog is going to be stressed Because something unexpected happened I Mean if you’re training your dog to be Good around loud noises like trains it’s Important to expose them to trains at Varying degrees starting small and Working up to you know greater loud Sounds or whatever it is ideally in a Perfect world that can potentially cause Some stress that we do our best as dog Trainers or we should to minimize that Stress and make it as enjoyable as Possible sometimes that’s easier said Than done now look in hindsight if I had Known today was the day that she really Didn’t feel like doing With a lot of new dogs in that specific Type of environment that I wouldn’t have Done it we don’t always have that

Benefit of hindsight and I’ve learned From it since then I mean I continue to Socialize inertia with lots of different Dogs and monitor her interactions with People and dogs moving forward being That I have three months of filming that I’ve done since this video I can assure You this probably won’t be the last Controversial moment that we have with Inertia I’m committed to just showing You the real thing I want you to Understand what the experience is like For me and hopefully that can help you Alright so as I go in here you know I’m Letting inertia run around the dog park I’m letting her do her thing Hoping because I mean again that’s her Pattern let her roam I’m not restricting Her with a leash let her smell around Dogs aren’t running up to her Immediately she’s a little like this is A little weird but she’s doing okay now A dog runs up to her she doesn’t know What to make of the dog she didn’t Really get a good sniff in and she feels A bit nervous there by by jumping on me Right now she’s really concerned with Checking things out here comes the dog Again there’s some healthy interaction From the side they’re smelling each Other it’s very reciprocal really I’m Seeing the body language here and I mean These are things I’m seeing in real time As well and I just have to make that

Call as a trainer is everything going Okay here or body language seems fine She’s walking around very relaxed Feeling trying to get her attention on Me around the distractions seeing how Responsive she is with all the smells of The dogs here she’s not very responsive As would be expected with a young dog in A new place and you know here I get Another healthy interaction you see her Tail wagging she’s so far seeming to Enjoy herself she’s getting a little Rough with a small dog that was play but I decided to interrupt cuz I don’t know How old this dog is here and so again You know you’re having positive Experience after positive experience so Far here okay now here this stalk got a Little bit exuberant with her and Started to really play chase before she Got a good sniff in and it’s important For dogs to greet each other on their Terms that threw her off a little bit it Was clear and then you know this is Where it goes south here where you know Another dog came and knocked her over And she’s like I I really am sick of Getting knocked over by bigger older Dogs here and I think it’s important to Look at I mean she’s you know she’s definitely Like I am scared and maybe she felt like She didn’t she couldn’t easily get away Because the last time she tried to run

The dog caught up what you were before She was ready to interact I got a lot of Criticism here for basically saying all Right well that’s when you should have Left but my thinking was again maybe She’ll rebound from it let’s try to end On a good experience even in cases like This where dogs have been rough with her In the past she’s often recovered but he Or she’s clearly not and I mean this dog Is taking it very well so here we’re Walking out she’s having a good Experience with another dog here they’re Smelling she’s I mean she’s a little Nervous but you know this is important For her to get this experience and Realized that that nothing bad is Happening and again she sees a giant dog Coming over and she’s like I don’t know I’m gonna get under this bench so she Decides to get out of the bench and Sniff from a distance again I’m thinking I’d rather her not be nervous but she’s Not she’s not shut down completely she’s Still smelling the dog trying to gather Information at a distance it is what it Is that’s the real world it didn’t go Like I thought it would go I’m sorry About that I mean tell me what you think do you Think that I should omit my mistakes I Think it’s important to show the Mistakes cuz there’s not a dog trainer Alive who doesn’t make mistakes or

Underestimate or miscalculate how their Dog is going to behave especially when You’re dealing with a dog new to the World going through so many changes I Mean keep in mind at six months old your Dog is still on the cusp of a later for Your period that happens around eight Months of age that’s a spectrum that can Start to set in at six months or nine Months or whatever so you’re kind of Dealing with all of these different Variables your dog is being inundated With a ton of new information every Moment of their existence especially When they’re in a new place around new Dogs trying to balance those variables And get them working right together can Be challenging sometimes so anyway I Thought it was important to have this Discussion my big question is should I Omit the mistakes from this series or Should we include them I think we should Include them I really believe in telling The real story I always have and that’s Why I continue to be upfront and honest Even when it’s not necessarily in my Best interest and how I’m going to be Perceived out there I want to welcome All of the new subscribers to this Channel you guys have been awesome I Hope you’ll learn something I hope to Learn from you as well give a thumbs up Or a thumbs down if you liked or didn’t Like the video and

See you guys in the next episode Hopefully it’ll be less controversial But actually I don’t know what’s in the Next episode that’s one of the things on My plate today is to go see how it’s Looking in the Edit so fingers crossed